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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Sitting in front of my laptop, I am debating whether I should blog about these buttermilk cookies.Not that they aren't tasty. To the contrary, these little cookies are quite a treat. The headnote on the Gourmet Jan 2008, in which the recipe first appeared says it all : "These are the cookies of your dream,....tender interior with the slightest bit of crispness around the edge."

Indeed, that's my sentiment of the cookies. When baked right, these cookies are light, and have an almost cake like texture in the center. So why do I even hesitate to blog about it? Well....never mind. That isn't important anymore. Is it?

When baking these buttermilk cookies, remember to bake them one baking sheet at a time, as the recipe clearly indicates. I burnt one tray by baking 2 sheets at a time, thinking I'd save time. Learn from my mistake and don't let the same happens to you. Don't rush it. These cookies are worth the time and effort. The cookies are best eaten the day they are baked, but can be frozen for 1 month. I am curious about the texture of the cookies after being frozen, but not a single cookies survived for that experiment. (OCT brought them to lab, and returned with the empty container)...

For Glaze (this is half the original recipe, which I find is more than enough to frost the cookies)3/4 cup confectioners sugar1.5 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make cookies:Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment papers.Whisk together flour, lemon zest, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until smooth.

Drop level tablespoons of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks.

Glaze cookies:Whisk together all glaze ingredients and brush onto tops of warm cookies.

Mmm... these look great!(butting in) With regards to the buttermilk questions - I always use the powder when I bake (I use it in bread) as it's so much more convenient than liquid. It's always worked great for me. Just add the powder to the dry ingredients and add the appropriate amount of water when you mix other wet ingredients.

Hi Mandy, I really like your blog and always look forward to what you will be baking next. This is an answer to one of your readers re: buttermilk. Just add 1tsp lemon juice to every 1/2 cup of whole milk if you don't happen to have any buttermilk in the fridge........ rgds Doris

OMG, I made these cookies as part of an assortment for my weekly dessert night last week and they just might be my new favorite cookie ever. They were just so light and not super sweet. Just like the mini perfect pancake. Do you know of any modifications to the recipe that can be done, like adding a fruit or something?

I love simple old fashioned cookies like your delightful buttermilk cookies. Keeping buttermilk powder in the pantry is a great way to always be able to enjoy buttermilk in your baked goods. It seems to work as well as fresh in the recipes I've tried.